Trócaire hopes its social media challenge will give Irish students a newfound perspective on the problems they face each day, compared to those in the developing world.
The charity is urging them to sign out of their online profiles for 24 hours to raise money for communities and schools in Sierra Leone.
The African country went through an Ebola outbreak in 2014 which killed 4,000 people, while 1,000 died after a mudslide hit last year.
Trócaire's Fundraising Manager Reidin O'Connor says the challenge will give students a chance to reflect on life outside the digital world.
Well done Mercy College Sligo, who took the #SignUpSignOut challenge to give up social media for 24 hours, and raised €1630 for Trócaire!
— Trócaire (@trocaire) March 14, 2018
Will your school take the challenge?https://t.co/WU8Kwq5JAh pic.twitter.com/ys1aDhuV86
“It takes you out of your own mindset and you start to look at challenges other students face around the world – children that are struggling to get to school because of conflict, war, hunger,” she said.
“It’s about starting that dialogue with kids and talking about challenges they face, and those of kids around the world.”